Scotch Malt Whisky Society 77.26

$143.09

SOLD OUT! - Not expected to return to KWM! 

A FOODIE DRAM

Bottled at 55.6% after 23 years in a Refill Hogshead.

Panel's Tasting Note: "Surprisingly prickly for its age, with sharp, citric notes, but warming – 'like opening the door of an oven'... Appetising food scents immediately crowded us: apple and pear crumble with brambles; pork sausage casserole, with mushrooms, apples and red wine; a taste both sweet (honeycomb) and savoury (Twiglets, minty Mohito). Becomes more waxy with water, but still sweet and savoury – rosemary potatoes, parsnips, buttered carrots – and these features reflected in the taste. Is this a rare example of umami, the fifth primary taste? This malt is currently the fastest-growing in Taiwan, where it is branded as The Singleton."

Drinking Tip: "While preparing a hearty dinner."

OMC Highland Park Sherry Cask 14 Year

$104.39

My Tasting Notes: Nose: oaky with bold citrus notes, honey and grassfire-smoke; the vanilla honey is dominant with fresh cut oranges, lemon zest and hand squeezed lemon juice; Palate: honeyed, and peatier than expected with some dark chocolate; the citrus notes are drier and more burnt than expected but compliment the sweet honey/vanilla and tone down the smoke; the sherry influence becomes more prominent with nutty oloroso notes and spicy oak; Finish: drying sweet and coating with more burnt citrus notes and fading clean grass smoke.

OMC Scapa 17 Year

$144.89

OMC Highland Park Sherry Cask 15 Year

$121.49

My Tasting Note: Nose: fruity, savoury and meaty, but soft; the nose reminds me of figs or dates, filled with blue cheese, wrapped in prosciutto and toasted in a Panini grill; lots of honey, dark candied fruits, emerging dark spices and wood smoke; Palate: wonderful, chewy, sweet, honeyed and balanced with soft smoke; classic Highland Park; the honey is thick, sweet, coating and multilayered, as it tones down woody smoke, spices and soft-chocolaty peat start to emerge; there are some dried dark fruits, nutty sherry notes; and earthy tannins, but the honey rules the day; Finish: drying with dried dark fruits, some licorice, spices and soft earthy smoke; at the very end Jujubes and honey.

OMC Blair Athol (Sherry) 12 Year

$96.74

O&R Springbank 20 Year

$476.99

Matured in a Refill Hogshead (Sherry Hogshead?) - Only 158 Bottles Filled - Douglas Laing Tasting Note: "The nose opens with a spicy character and runs to ripe banana & oranges plus a vanilla tablet style. The palate is initially dry and spicy then develops to an attractive smoky quality. The spicy character continues on the long finish and now carries a gunpowder tea trait then runs to dry wood and soft leather."

O&R Probably Speyside's Finest 46 Year

$561.14

Matured in a Sherry Butt - Only 143 Bottles Filled - Douglas Laing Tasting Note: "If the colour has not given it away yet, the nose certainly does-distinctively sherried and richly spiced with dried dates, warm toffee and ginger. The palate caries a creamy butterscotch quality infused with a surprisingly fresh orange zesty trait. The finish is long, still spicy plus a sweet hazelnut marzipan character."

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 48.29

$109.79

SOLD OUT! - Not expected to return to KWM! 

SATISFYING SWEET

This 12 year old Speysider is from a First Fill Barrel bottled at 61%.

Panel's Tasting Note: "Powerful sweetness hit the nose to start with. It became set honey, vanilla pods and toffee bonbons and then lavender freshness with herbal notes of thyme and cut grass. To taste it was hot and sweet. The herbal notes were there too along with orange marmalade bitterness, tobacco and cooling menthol eucalyptus. A good length of finish too. With water the aroma becomes sweeter: baking (pastries, cakes & marzipan), sherbet, lemon icing sugar, rhum agricole, but also an earthy note that took us to summer gardens. Water calms down the taste and offers cake mixture dough, sweet tobacco and orange pith in the finish. From the distillery that is the closest to Grantown on Spey."

Drinking Tip: "For when you are in search of satisfaction."

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 85.23

$105.29

SOLD OUT! - Not expected to return to KWM! 

BURNT GRANARY TOAST WITH BRAMBLE JELLY

This 12 year old from the vicinity of Elgin has been matured in a Refill Butt and bottled at 59.4%.

Panel's Tasting Note: "The first notes are typical of ex-sherrywood maturation: lightly sulphury, with struck matches, or as one put it 'home-made egg mayo with granary bread'. The sulphur notes soon blow off, leaving yeasty, sour pumpernickel bread and baked pecan pie. At natural strength the taste is very sweet, burnt and aggressive. Water re-introduces the sulphur notes, which linger behind burnt toast spread with butter and bramble jelly or plum jam, and later treacle toffee. In the mouth, the texture is thick and smooth, the taste very sweet and slightly bitter, with raw brambles and redcurrants."

Drinking Tip: "Strolling in an autumnal orchard."